Optical fiber is employed for a variety of uses including as a conduit for communication signals and for measuring strain and temperature exhibited therein as well as in structures to which the optical fiber is attached. Optical fibers are spliced together whenever two lengths of fiber need to be functionally connected. Depending upon the environment in which the optical fiber will be employed, it may be desirable to protect the splice. Shrink tubing is commonly employed for this purpose. In such cases the shrink tubing is shrunk to radially compress and thereby attach to the fiber in an area surrounding the splice. While protection provided in this manner is sufficient for some applications, other systems and methods for protecting splices may be better suited for other applications.
The art would be receptive to alternative devices and methods for protecting fiber optic splices.